Pamela is an early example of a psychological novel. Some critics consider it the first novel altogether, but this is debatable. It is certainly one of the first novel-length works of fiction to explore the inner world of a protagonist (Pamela), as well as that protagonist's development through conflict with other characters. Pamela has desires, flaws, and a full range of emotions that come into play in her power struggle with Mr. B.
Part of how Richardson manages to give Pamela such a rich inner world is through the use of the "epistolary" form: he uses her letters and journal entries as the primary method of storytelling. Epistolary novels became especially popular in the 18th century, and they have remained popular. By letting characters like Pamela tell their own stories, authors like Richardson realized that they could let these characters come alive on the page as though they were real people with complex motivations, not just pawns in the telling of a story controlled by someone else. Many critics have connected the growing interest in characters' psychology in the 18th century to the parallel growth of the idea that individuals had the capacity to grow, develop, and (according to many revolutionaries) rule over themselves. Psychological and sentimental novels (another label that could be used to describe Pamela) veered away from the biting social satire that had previously been popular, in which characters were usually flat caricatures rather than more "real" people.
For all Richardson's interest in allowing Pamela to express herself and be her own person, he also wrote this novel as a "conduct book" to tell readers how they ought to behave in their own lives. Pamela, he explicitly states at the end of the novel, is supposed to be a role model for young women. Mr. B. is supposed to show the possibilities of reformed behavior. Pamela and her parents alike demonstrate that patient virtue yields great rewards, sometimes even economic; meanwhile, Sally Godfrey is supposed to be a cautionary tale about the consequences of lapsing in one's dedication to virtue. It seems paradoxical that Richardson's novel can be categorized as a true psychological novel when stereotypes are so deeply embedded in it. For Richardson though, it seems that Pamela's complex psychological development serves as evidence that working hard to remain virtuous pays off.
